Some in St. Louis worry it's too early to reopen

O'FALLON, Mo. -- Restaurants and other nonessential businesses will be allowed to open their doors today in St. Louis city and county, but some people in the region worry it's still too early in the area of Missouri stung hardest by the coronavirus.

A group called HealthB4Wealth staged drive-by protests Saturday, parading through parts of the region and honking horns. Organizers say the region lacks enough personal protective equipment for essential workers if cases start to spike again, and the city and county don't have enough testing and contact tracing in place.

Republican Gov. Mike Parson's "stay-at-home" order expired May 4, allowing most of the state to reopen. St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson and St. Louis County Executive Sam Page, both Democrats, extended their orders through Sunday, limiting restaurants to delivery and curb-side service.

Missouri has reported 10,789 cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, since the pandemic began, and 5,713 of those cases have been in St. Louis city and county combined. Of the state's 594 reported deaths, 429 have been in the city and county.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force on Sunday showed coronavirus admissions at major hospitals rose to 28 from 27, while the seven-day average of hospital admissions held steady at 25. The total number of hospitalized patients decreased to 487 from 493, and the number of patients in intensive care units dropped by one to 121. The number of patients on ventilators dropped to 75 from 84.

The head of the task force, Dr. Alex Garza, has stressed that safe reopening will require social distancing, people wearing facial protection, and good hygiene practices. Otherwise, he said Friday, the region could risk a new resurgence in cases.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up after two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.

Nearly 80 new coronavirus cases have been reported at a meat plant in northwest Missouri. The Kansas City Star reported at least 490 employees at the Triumph Foods plant in St. Joseph have now tested positive, according to the state health department. That was an increase of 78 cases since numbers were previously reported May 5.